How Hermione got the Shield
by AlyssPotter
Summary: Prequel to Hermione's Mask. Hermione's been nervous of what people thought of her all her life. So what does she do? Find herself a shield.


**Authors note: **

**Oh my gosh! I'm so giddy and excited! I got 5 reviews on I'm a Rebel and Hermione's Mask! Huuuuuggggeee and special thanks to y'all! I'll write a special thanks to you guys on tomorrow's chapter! And because you guys reviewed today, I'm sending this out early! Anyway, this is Hermione's shield. It's the prequel to Hermione's mask. Hope you enjoy!**

**Songs: **

**Ignorance by Paramore**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; all right belong to JK Rowling.**

Prequel to Hermione's Mask

It had started to form at home, from her parent's ignorance of her, so she had tried to get their attention by destroying her stuff and pulling pranks. Her parents had gotten angry with her, and sent her to her room, crying. After that she had done as good as she could in school, receiving top in her class for everything. When that failed, she aimed for getting praise from her teachers, despite her fear of being stared at, being called a know-it-all.

Then she was accepted into Hogwarts. Her parents had been so proud of her, giving her all the praise and attention she had been longing for. But there was still no love. When her mask was complete, it had been in first year, before she was a friend with Harry and Ron. She had been so excited to be at an actual wizarding school, and the top of every class. All the teachers were pleased by her success, yet some of the Slytherins had taunted her for being a lesser muggle-born. This only made her more determined to be the best.

She had no friends, though, and one day found herself walking through the halls very lonely. As she turned the corner, she found Malfoy and his group of cronies teasing and berating a young muggle born girl from Ravenclaw.

"Leave her ALONE!" she had shouted running to the girl and helping her up.

"Ooooohhhhh, and what's a mudblood like yourself going to do about it, Granger?" Malfoy said, smirking evilly.

"A what?" asked Hermione?

Malfoy's smirk just deepened. "Aren't even educated in the proper wizarding way? How sad, weren't you supposed to be smart, Granger? And defending another mudblood. So weak you can't defend yourself, Leeway?"

Leering at the girl behind the girl, who whimpered and shrunk down behind Hermione, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at Hermione. Hermione's only response was to pull out her wand and aim at Malfoy's head. Ally Leeway shrieked, and ran off to the Ravenclaw tower, afraid of a potential fight.

"All alone, yet again Granger." Malfoy and his goons laughed.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

Malfoy look at his goons with a smirk before turning back to Hermione, "Well, you're a friendless mudblood, always alone with your nerdy books and giant front teeth. Your hair is also a mighty rats nest, honestly, who would like you?!"

Hermione looked at him, and ran off, barley making it around the corner before she started sobbing. She ran all the way to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom before she collapsed against the wall, head in her arms, her shoulders shaking with sadness.

After a few minutes, a voice asked her, "What's wrong?"

Hermione looked up to see the face of moaning Myrtle right in front of her. Sniffling a few times, she asked, "W-why do _you_ care? I-I'm just a w-w-worthless mudblood with no f-friends." She buried her head back in her arms, renewed sob's sounding through the bathrooms echoing walls.

"I'm sorry," said Myrtle," People are just so mean some times, always saying rude things, and hurting other peoples feelings. When I was alive, Olive Hornby wouldn't leave me alone, always teasing me for my glasses, and pushing me over in the halls. Well, I always went out of my way to avoid her, just so she would leave me alone. But then, no one would ever want to hang out with worthless, nerdy Myrtle, ugly and smart Myrtle."

Hermione looked at her in amazement. Not only did Myrtle talk to her for more than one minute without going off in disgust, she was _exactly_ the same as her! Both of them were bullied, smart, and friendless.

"D-do you want to be my friend?" she asked Myrtle nervously.

"You-you want _me_ to be _your_ friend?" asked Myrtle, shocked.

Hermione looked down in shame, "It-it's ok," she said quietly, defeated," You don't need to worry about excuses. No one would ever want to be-"

"No, no, no," said Myrtle, hurriedly, cutting Hermione off," It's just, no one's ever wanted to be _my_ friend before."

Hermione looked up at Myrtle, shocked, "You actually _want_ to be my friend?"" she asked excitedly.

"Of course! " Myrtle said, "Who wouldn't want to be? You're smart, funny, nice, actually talking to me, and are the sweetest and politest person I have ever met!"

Hermione reached up to hug Myrtle, and _actually_ touched her! Myrtle, too shocked to do anything else, hugged the downtrodden girl back.

Myrtle and Hermione had talked the rest of the day. Since there were no classes, and Hermione had no friends, they didn't have to worry about it. They discovered that Hermione had descended through a line of squibs, whose ancestors were magically gifted with ghosts. If they wanted to touch a ghost, they could.

At dinner that night, Ally Leeway ran up to Hermione and apologized over and over for abandoning her with Malfoy, even though she had saved her. Hermione learned Ally was a loner, too, and invited her to join her with Myrtle.

"But isn't she that blubbering ghost who everyone hates?" she had asked.

"Actually," said Hermione," she only acts like that because she is afraid people will hurt her again, it's like a mask of some sort."

They ran down to Myrtle's bathroom, and opened the door to Myrtle's wailing.

"What do you want?" asked Myrtle, floating out of her stall. She saw Hermione there, and nearly smiled at her, but upon seeing Ally, continued her act.

"It's ok, Myrtle," said Hermione," Ally's a friend."

"Oh, ok," said Myrtle.

She dropped to the floor and pulled Hermione into a hug, sobbing freely.

"Myrtle," Hermione stated, alarmed," what's wrong!"

"S-some mean boys c-c-c-called me stupid!" and proceeded to wailing and crying in anguish.

"Myrtle, they don't know anything. They're the ones who're stupid, not even caring to know you. You're an amazing person, and anyone would be lucky to be as good as a person as you."

Myrtle sniffled a bit," Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione wished Myrtle were real, that she could hold her in her arms, and tell her she really meant it. Suddenly, Hermione felt warm skin on her own, and looked at Myrtle, gasping.

"What?" asked Myrtle, offended," I know I look bad, but-"

She looked down and screamed. Myrtle was no longer transparent, but had a human body.

"You, you're alive!" squealed Hermione. She ran over to Myrtle and gave her a real hug.

Ally watched this turn of events, more than slightly confused and completely freaked out. First, Hermione had hugged a ghost, and up 'till now, was deemed impossible. Next, they had acted as best friends, and then Myrtle had a human body!

Ally coughed, uncomfortably.

Hermione and Myrtle looked at Ally. Then Hermione laughed," Oh, sorry, Myrtle, this is Ally, Ally, meat Myrtle. Ally, as you can see, I can actually touch ghosts, which I can do because, apparently, I'm a descendant from a line of squibs who had that power. "

"Ooooookayyyyyy," Ally said, a strange look on her face, "so you're, like, a Reaper? Weeeeeeiiiiirrrrrrddddd. Are you descended from the line if death? Maybe your family gained it from some kind of conquest on another family. Hmmmmm, I'll research that. Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

Hermione and Myrtle were looking at Ally strangely as she said that. "Oh, nothing, you just sound exactly like Myrtle and I!" Hermione said.

"Yep, I bet we'll be beeeeeeessssstttt friends forever!" Myrtle exclaimed, jumping up and down. She tripped and headed towards the ground, whishing she was a ghost again so she wouldn't hit. She shut her eyes tight, but nothing happened. Myrtle cracked her eyes open and found herself hovering slightly above it. She was a ghost, again!

"Myrtle," said Hermione slowly, "how did you do that?"

Myrtle shrugged her shoulders, "I, I just whished I was a ghost again, and, well, here I am."

Hermione and Ally were looking at Myrtle with calculating looks on their faces. "Wait," said Myrtle, "You don't think that Hermione's gift-"

"Allows you to turn-"

"Back into a ghost at will? That could be it!" finished Ally.

The three smiled at each other, and their friendship started.

A few days latter, the three girls were meeting in the bathroom again. The past few days, they had been teaching each other social skills, and reading books on how to be more outgoing.

"Today," began Myrtle, "is my turn to teach. I decided to teach you about the mask."

"The what?" the two said.

"The mask," said Myrtle, "The mask is when you hide your feeling from other people when you feel threatened and worried. It's a shield, in a way. Here, both of you try."

Hermione's face instantly turned into one of indifference, while Ally screwed up her face, trying to do as Myrtle instructed.

"Wow, Hermione, yours is really good!" Myrtle complimented.

"Is that a good thing?" asked Ally warily.

The trio had quickly become friends, and decided to hide their friendship. So when Harry, Ron, and Hermione encountered Ally in the hallways, and Myrtle in the bathroom, they pretended they had never known each other.

Hermione wore her mask, her shields, at all times. She couldn't let herself be fooled by people's warm personalities. She had already been hurt once; she wasn't going to let it happen again.

In fifth year, when things started to get bad, they had started meeting more than often, trying to consul each other. They knew Voldemort was back, and started training so they could defend themselves.

Seventh year, Myrtle was trying her hardest to protect Ally from the Carrows and other evil Deatheaters. She wished Hermione was there, but knew she was on a quest to stop Voldemort.

After the final battle, they had all reunited. Both Ally and Hermione had injuries, but Myrtle, being a ghost, had not one scratch on her. They had talked about the future, and how they most likely wouldn't be able to talk to each other much. Ally had gotten a boyfriend throughout the war, a kind, seventh year boy named Gareth Zonal.

"How about you, Hermione?" asked Ally, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Hermione blushed and turned away, "Um, yeah, Ronald, Ron Weasly. You know, my friend."

Myrtle grinned, "Now he's your boyfriend!"

"Icky Hermione has all grown up!" said Ally, clutching her hand to her heart. "How ever will we manage without her bright critiques about how no girl should date a boy until they're 18?!"

Hermione mock glared at her friends, "Very funny. How you two crack yourselves up."

And indeed, the two girls were rolling on the floor, laughing.

Goodbyes were the saddest thing to do, in Hermione's opinion. They had decided that they would use some of Hermione's SPEW badges as portkeys so they could visit each other at any time. Myrtle turned human to hug Ally and Hermione goodbye. Then the two girls had left with their respective families.

The first Wednesday of every month, they met each other at Hogwarts. They'd go to Myrtle's bathroom, where she'd turn human. Because Myrtle had spent most of her time human, she was roughly the same age as Hermione and Ally. They would go find a nice restaurant or café in Hogsmead and talk about daily life.

One day Ally announced she was pregnant, and wanted Hermione and Myrtle as godmothers. The two had promptly burst into tears, and wrapped a surprised Ally in bone-crushing hugs.

When Ron proposed to Hermione, she pondered contacting them, but decided against it. She had needed time alone. So when she went into the forest, she remembered her first year, and how she got her mask.

She knew her Past, and Present, but what was in the future? Only time could tell.

**A/N**

**Well. That was different. I knew what I wanted to write, and ended up writing something that distantly resembled it. How odd. Any who, what do you think?**

**Well, Anyway, I have a poll up for my next story. It's on my profile page, please review!**

**Love from**

**Alyss**


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